


I've Got A Dark Alley (and a Bad Idea That Says You Should Shut Your Mouth)

by the_savage_daughter_0627



Series: Hauntober 2020 [5]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Avatar & Benders Setting, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Based on a Tumblr Post, Gen, Horror, I Blame Tumblr, I Will Go Down With This Ship, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Inspired by Avatar: The Last Airbender, Katara (Avatar)-centric, Long Shot, Murder, Mythical Beings & Creatures, October Prompt Challenge, One Shot, One Shot Collection, One True Pairing, One of My Favorites, POV Katara (Avatar), Protective Zuko (Avatar), Shock, To Be Continued, Tumblr Prompt, Vampires, Zuko (Avatar) is not Nice, Zuko (Avatar)-centric, Zuko's Scar (Avatar)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-22
Updated: 2020-10-22
Packaged: 2021-03-09 00:07:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,542
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27144956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_savage_daughter_0627/pseuds/the_savage_daughter_0627
Summary: The last thing Katara expects when she decides to walk home from work one night is to be attacked by a vampire.And she definitely doesn't expect to get saved by a ~second~ vampire. Her life will never be the same after this.Written for the Hauntober 2020 prompt "vampire."
Relationships: Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Hauntober 2020 [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1973365
Comments: 39
Kudos: 126





	I've Got A Dark Alley (and a Bad Idea That Says You Should Shut Your Mouth)

**Author's Note:**

> I've been wanting to write a fic like this ever since I started writing Zutara, so thank you, Hauntober, for finally giving me the excuse to do that!
> 
> Also, this is probably most definitely becoming a multi-chapter fic because I just love vampire Zuko way too much.
> 
> Also, yeah, definitely got a lotta lore going on here. Because I definitely knew I was gonna do more with this when I wrote it xD.
> 
> Special thanks to FireLadyFae/LadyFaePhillips for her awesome work beta-ing this!

Katara knew it was a bad idea to walk home from work in the dark. She  _ knew  _ it, and she’d done it anyway because she had been too impatient to wait for the train. It was dark and cold, and all she wanted was to get back to her apartment and fall into bed. She had an early class in the morning, and she already wouldn’t be getting enough sleep. 

_ It’s not really that far _ , she had told herself.  _ It’s a thirty minute walk. It beats standing around and waiting for the train.  _

But now, halfway home, with her limbs shaking from the cold and her fingers numb despite being shoved in the pockets of her jacket, she was regretting that decision. 

Katara couldn’t explain it, not really. She had walked home a dozen times before, but never had she felt like  _ this _ . Warning bells were ringing in her head. The hairs on the back of her neck were standing up. Gooseflesh that had nothing to do with the cold cropped up on her skin. 

She kept looking around, her eyes combing through the pockets of darkness for danger but finding none. 

And the street was surprisingly quiet too. This city never slept, not even in the dead of night. And it wasn’t as though she was walking down some secluded street. No, this boulevard was usually full of traffic. But on this cold, foggy night, it was empty. That made her feel even more uneasy, and she redoubled her efforts to get home by picking up the pace.

Katara never saw the figure that seemed to come from nowhere until it appeared in front of her on the sidewalk.

“Hey there,” the figure purred at her as Katara pulled up short, taken aback by their sudden appearance. “What’s a pretty thing like you doing out alone on a night like this?”

For a moment, Katara only stared at the figure. She could tell by the voice that it was a man, and something in his tone had the hairs on the back of her neck prickling. He was cast in shadows, obscuring his features, but she could tell that the figure was tall and broad. Strong. Dangerous.

And everything within her was screaming at her to run. 

She knew about unsavory types who approached women who were by themselves. Katara knew she needed to get away.

“Leave me alone,” she hissed with all of the ferocity she could muster. 

She moved to the side, intent on darting across the street and escaping whatever dark intentions this person had for her. But to her horror, the figure reached out and caught her by the wrist, his fingers locking around her with bruising strength.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he crooned. “We’re just getting started.”

Katara felt a cold fear pool in her belly. “Get lost, creep!”

She brought her free hand up and slapped the man across the face. Her palm stung from the force of the slap, but his head barely moved from the impact, and all he did was grin at her. His grip on her wrist didn’t falter, either. 

“Let go of me!” Katara yanked on her arm, unable to believe the sheer strength of this person. She was pulling against him with everything in her, and he wasn’t budging. “I said  _ let go! _ ” 

She brought her foot up and kicked him in the groin.  _ That  _ worked: a grunt of surprise and pain left him. She caught the sight of his eyes in the light of the street lamp. They were blood red. But Katara didn’t have time to process that, as his hold on her lessened just enough for Katara to pull her arm free. 

She took off across the street, her sneakers slapping the damp pavement as she pumped her arms to pick up speed, her breath rasping in her throat as panic swelled inside of her.

“Oh, so you wanna play a game?” She heard the stranger’s laugh carry on the air. “We can do that, kitten.”

Her heart thundered in her chest as fear coursed through her veins. She wished she had taken Suki’s advice and gotten her concealed-carry permit. The perv wouldn’t chase after her if she waved her 9 millimeter in his face. But she still wasn’t  _ entirely  _ defenseless: she had the pepper spray Sokka had given her when she first moved to the city in her purse. 

Katara sprinted down the sidewalk as she fumbled with the zipper on her bag. She couldn’t hear his footsteps behind her and she didn’t even know if he was still pursuing her, but Katara wasn’t going to waste precious seconds looking over her shoulder to check. 

Her hand closed around the small can of mace just as a hand clamped down on her shoulder with frightening strength.

“Caught you, kitten,” he crooned.

“No, you don’t!”

Katara twisted toward him and brought up the pepper spray, pressing down on the trigger. Acrid mist sprayed through the air between them, directly into her attacker’s eyes.

He roared at the pain as the spray assaulted him. Katara ducked out of his hold and cut down a dark alley as panic filled her mind, coughing a bit on the fumes from the pepper spray. 

_ Red eyes?! Who the  _ _ hell _ _ has red eyes?! They’ve got to be contacts, right? This guy is some crazy rapist who wears red contacts to freak his victims out. But I pepper sprayed him and I bet that feels great with the contacts and if I can just get away— _

She ran into a second figure and let out a sharp scream. The newcomer’s hands folded over her wrists. 

“I’ll save you from the vampire,” he growled.

_ What?! Vampire???? _ This all had to be some kind of sick joke. There was no other explanation that made sense. 

Katara dumbly stared up at the newcomer for a moment as she tried to comprehend what he had just said to her. It was dark in the alley, and she could barely make him out. But she saw his dark hair that fell into his eyes and his alabaster skin, and the large red mark that covered the left half of his face. 

He suddenly let go of her wrists. His arm snaked around her waist and spun her suddenly so that she was standing where he had been a moment before and let her go. Katara let out a surprised yelp. Then he turned so that he now faced the mouth of the alley, just in time for her attacker to come barreling down towards them. 

Her attacker stopped short when he saw the newcomer. He was faintly illuminated by the street lamps behind him, and Katara saw his lips curl back in a snarl.

“Zuko,” her attacker hissed.

“Jet,” the newcomer gritted back. “We’ve talked about this.” 

“Screw you and your rules! I’m going to make her my new familiar, and there’s  _ nothing _ you can do about it. She’s  _ mine! _ ” 

Katara staggered back a step. She had every intention of turning and running down that alley, away from  _ both  _ of them. She was still trying to wrap her head around what the newcomer—Zuko—had said.  _ I’ll save you from the vampire.  _

It  _ had  _ to be some kind of joke, right? Some cruel prank? Or maybe it was something darker, and these two were in this together—clearly, they knew each other. Maybe this was some twisted rape fantasy where one of them stalked her and the other played hero before they both had their way with her—

Katara should have been running. She meant to, really. But before she could, her attacker launched himself at the newcomer with an enraged snarl, and Zuko met him halfway. 

Katara slowly backed away, her eyes never leaving the scene before her. It was vicious, the two of them throwing punches and landing blows. It was like a fight scene from one of those action movies her brother loved so much. Katara was no expert, but even she could tell that the two of them were excellent fighters as they jabbed out with punches and kicks. 

Katara watched as Zuko deftly blocked two punches from Jet before pulling his leg in and kicking him hard in the chest. Jet staggered back from the impact, and while he recovered, Zuko lunged forward and grabbed Jet by the shoulders before he swung him around and threw him across the alley with inhuman force. Jet crashed into the brick wall of the building hard enough that the bricks chipped and broke beneath him.

Katara gaped. That wasn’t possible.  _ None  _ of this was possible. She must have been having a very frightening, very vivid nightmare.

Jet picked himself up off the ground and faced Zuko.

“Last warning, Zuko. Back off,” he snarled. “I saw her first. She’s  _ mine _ .”

“Not a chance,” came the hot reply. 

Then Jet threw himself at Zuko, and the fight was back on. 

Katara watched in horrified silence. It reminded her of something she’d seen on the Discovery channel: two male lions, each strong and vicious, growling and snarling as they fought and battled over territory or mates...or food. 

_ Vampires aren’t real,  _ Katara told herself. But she also knew it wasn’t possible for a man to be thrown into a wall and walk away like it was nothing. And it certainly wasn’t possible for Jet to kick Zuko hard enough that he flew—literally  _ flew _ —through the air and landed hard at the mouth of the alley. Then he turned back to her, his eyes glittering hungrily.

Katara looked up at Jet. She saw his teeth flash in a white grin before he came after her. Katara screamed and brought her hands up, terror freezing her in place. 

Just before he reached her, Zuko grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and yanked him back, throwing him effortlessly behind him as he faced Katara. 

“Sorry about that.” He was grinning as he looked at her. “Didn’t mean to let him get that close.”

Then he was back to the fight in the blink of an eye as Jet sprung to his feet. Katara watched as Zuko tackled Jet, lifting him off the ground as though he were light as a feather. Zuko slammed him into the wall of a building yet again and Katara winced at the sickening thud of Jet’s head smacking the bricks.

But nothing seemed to deter him for long. Jet regained his composure and shoved back against Zuko before he tried to run at her once more.

Thankfully, Zuko caught him before he could get far. “Run!” He told her as Jet grappled against him, struggling to get away. “Get the hell out of here!”

That got her feet moving. Katara turned and ran down the alley.

“Damn it, Zuko! Stay outta my way!”

“Leave her  _ alone! _ ” 

There was a great crash behind her, the sound of garbage cans being overturned as Jet and Zuko continued their brawl. 

Katara risked a glance back over her shoulder and saw Jet cutting down the alley behind her. His face was twisted into a feral snarl. And there was something off about the way he moved, quick and fluid, almost too fast for her eyes to follow, as if he were gliding down the alley instead of sprinting.

She couldn’t see Zuko in the darkness behind Jet, and that made her heart skip spasmodically with fear. She didn’t know who he was, or  _ what _ he was, but he at least seemed to be trying to protect her.

And if Jet had hurt him...or worse...then Katara was in a lot of trouble.

She reached into her bag and gripped the pepper spray in her hand once again, her index finger resting on the depressor. 

She didn’t see the debris that was strewn across the dark alley. It caught the toe of her sneaker and Katara went careening forward as she lost her balance. She let out a small shriek.

She went down hard, palms scraping against the slimy pavement and knees stinging from the shock of the impact. The pepper spray bounced out of her hand and clattered against the ground before it rolled beneath a dumpster, out of her reach.

Katara swore. She lunged for it, hand grappling for the pepper spray under the dumpster. She ignored the slime that slid across her palm as she searched. Her blood was pounding in her ears and the panic was choking the oxygen from her lungs.

A hand fisted into her hair and Katara was yanked to her feet as a shriek of fear and pain left her. She slammed against a hard body and felt hot breath on the side of her neck.

“ _ Finally, _ ” Jet breathed in her ear. He looped his arm around her waist and pulled her flush against him. “You are going to be absolutely delicious.”

His hand wound tighter through her hair until she felt it pull free from her scalp. He pulled hard to the side so that her neck was exposed to him. Katara cried out and reached behind her for him, her fingernails scratching at his face as she writhed against him. 

“Let go of me! Get off of me!” Katara thrashed against him, straining despite the sharp pain in her scalp and the utter futility of it all. 

“Let her  _ go _ , Jet!” 

A hand clamped down over Jet’s wrist. Katara watched Zuko from the corner of her eye. Blood trickled from a cut on his temple and his eyes flashed angrily.

His  _ red  _ eyes. He was a monster too?

There was a brief struggle as Katara strained to get away from both of them. Zuko worked to get Jet’s hand untangled from her hair, grabbing him by the hair and yanking his head away from Katara. She felt Jet’s fingers come free from her hair and then he let go of her waist as he and Zuko sparred again. She staggered forward towards the dumpster, dropping to her hands and knees to search for her pepper spray again. 

The two freakishly strong, contact-wearing mystery men continued to fight behind her. Then there was a thud, and silence.

Katara pulled back from the dumpster and turned around slowly. 

She saw Jet’s head rolling towards her and nearly screamed.

Zuko stood over the headless body. He turned back when he heard her sharp intake of breath. Even in the dim light, she could see the blood that stained his shirt. 

Katara scrambled backwards from him on her hands, her stomach churning uneasily as panic and repulsion coursed through her.

“Stay away from me!” Katara yelped when Zuko took a step towards her. 

He held up his hands. “I’m not going to hurt you. Are you alright?”

“Don’t come any closer!” 

He stopped moving. “I won’t. Are you hurt? Did he—” Zuko sucked in a sharp breath. “Did he bite you?”

“ _ Bite _ me? No!” Katara pushed herself to her feet. She was shaking all over and her palms were raw from hitting the pavement. “What the hell is wrong with you people? You just...you just  _ killed  _ him! I’m calling the cops!”

“Please don’t do that. He was going to kill you!” Zuko shot back. He glanced down at the body. “And really, Jet’s been a thorn in my side for a long time. He had it coming.”

Katara’s eyes fell closed as the world began to spin and she shook her head. 

“This is crazy,” she mumbled. 

She opened her eyes halfway and stared at Zuko. There was an orange light above a back door in one of the buildings and it illuminated Zuko, throwing into clarity the dark blood staining his white t-shirt. He was tall and broad-shouldered. Dark hair hung in his crimson eyes, and now she could see more clearly that the mark she had seen on the left side of his face was a scar. 

“This isn’t happening.” Katara shook her head. She felt woozy. “This is just...a bad dream. Yeah, that’s all. Just a bad dream. Vampires aren’t real and I didn’t just get attacked by one. Nope. Not possible. Vampires aren’t real…”

Zuko approached her cautiously. “Hey, are you feeling alright? You look a little pale and your heart rate is going crazy.” 

Katara pointed a trembling finger at him. “You stay away from me! Whatever you are...just stay back.”

Her vision blackened at the edges, and suddenly, the pavement was rushing up to meet her.

* * *

Katara woke up with a throbbing head but comfortably warm, and for a moment she was surprised to find that she was in her living room.  _ That was a wild dream,  _ Katara thought as images of crimson eyes flashed through her mind.

She pushed herself up on one elbow, rubbing at the back of her head where the scalp was tender.  _ That’s not right,  _ she thought.  _ That happened in my dream.  _

Then she saw the figure standing in her kitchen and felt her blood run cold. 

Was all of it real? The red eyes. The man who had attacked her, Jet. Zuko, who had protected her from him. Jet’s head laying in the dirty alley. 

Katara’s stomach lurched and she pushed herself off of the couch, rushing for the bathroom. She dropped onto her knees in front of the toilet and gave up the meager dinner of crackers and an apple she’d eaten hours ago. 

“Katara—are you alright?”

When she was finished puking, she looked over her shoulder and saw him standing out in the hallway, his brow creased. He was still wearing the bloody t-shirt.

“Oh spirits,” she moaned as her stomach rolled. 

She leaned over the toilet and retched again. 

“This can’t be happening. You’re not here. You’re not  _ real. _ ”

“I  _ am  _ real, and this  _ is _ happening. And I’m sorry you had to get caught up in the middle of it.” 

Katara flushed the toilet and hauled herself to her feet before she rinsed her mouth in the sink. Then she splashed cold water over her face. When she looked up in the mirror, she could see Zuko’s reflection watching her.

“I thought vampires didn’t have reflections,” she said, more calmly than she imagined she could be.

The corner of his lips twitched. “You can’t, if the mirror has a silver backing. Modern mirrors are backed with aluminum, so it no longer affects our reflection.”

She stared at his reflection in the mirror. There was only one explanation.  _ He _ was the crazy one, not her. Him and Jet. They were those crazy people who thought they were vampires. Katara knew those kinds of nutjobs existed. They drank their friends’ blood and were all creepy and weird, with fake fangs and red contacts. 

But that didn’t explain the inhuman strength and speed they had displayed. That didn’t explain how he had literally ripped Jet’s head off. There was no faking  _ that _ . 

So taking all of that into consideration, that left only one conclusion. Neither of them were crazy, and this was real.

Katara rubbed her temples. “This is actually happening. I’m not crazy, right?”

“No, you’re not. Well, maybe a little for trying to go toe to toe with a vampire. I can’t believe you  _ actually  _ pepper-sprayed him.” Zuko chuckled, apparently amused by that fact. “I hope it hurt him. He deserved it.”

“In my defense, I didn’t know that guy was a vampire. I was just trying to get away from him.” 

Katara turned back to Zuko. She was wary of him even if he  _ had  _ saved her from Jet. He was still a...vampire. She was slowly wrapping her head around it. It wasn’t easy, and part of her thought that all of this was some insane dream. Or that he was insane and only  _ thought _ he was a vampire. 

But she knew that wasn’t the case. She could feel it in her gut, and she had learned to trust her instincts long ago. Zuko and Jet had dropped into her life and exposed her to something frightening and unbelievable. But she knew just from looking at Zuko that this was all too real.

Then it occurred to her that she was standing in her apartment with a bloody  _ vampire _ .

“How did you know where I live? And my name?” Katara demanded to know, narrowing her eyes at him.

Zuko saw the distrust in her eyes, and he held his hands up. “You collapsed. I found your wallet in your purse. I couldn’t just leave you out in that alley next to a corpse.”

“So you went through my  _ stuff? _ ” Katara planted her hands on her hips indignantly.

“What else was I supposed to do?” Zuko shrugged helplessly. “I’m sorry!”

“You could have just dropped me off then!” She scowled at him. “Why are you even still here?”

Zuko looked at her. His crimson eyes almost glittered in the bright glow of the bathroom lights. Katara swallowed hard. 

Seeing him in the clear lighting, she realized that he  _ looked  _ like a vampire, with his alabaster skin to go along with those crimson eyes. But there was more to it than that. There was something about Zuko that kickstarted her fight-or-flight instinct, something that told everything within her to  _ run _ , to get away from him as quickly as she could. 

That he was dangerous. 

“I...wanted to make sure you were okay.” She saw the knot of his throat bob as he swallowed hard. “That was...I really shouldn’t have done that in front of you. You didn’t need to see that. So, I’m sorry about that.”

Katara wanted to leave the bathroom, but she was afraid to walk past him. She had seen what he had done to that other vampire. Jet’s decapitated head would forever be burned in her memory. And his apology really didn’t make it better. It still  _ happened _ . It would serve as a reminder that it would be all too easy for him to hurt her, or worse. 

“I’m fine,” she gritted out after a moment. “You can leave now.”

But then she thought about something. If he  _ did  _ go, what was to stop him from coming back? He knew her name. He knew where she lived. He could come for her at any time. A shiver of fear ran through her. Would she ever be safe again? 

“I’ll go if you want me to,” Zuko said. He turned back towards the living room.

“Wait!” Katara stepped closer to him, ignoring all of her instincts. Zuko looked back at her. She chewed her bottom lip. “How...how do I know you won’t come back for me? That you don’t want to hurt me too?”

Zuko offered her a wry half-smile. “You don’t. You just have to trust me.”

“I can barely believe that you  _ exist _ ,” Katara muttered. She shook her head. “In fact, I  _ still  _ don’t believe it! None of this makes any sense. But  _ no one  _ is that strong, or fast, or moves the way I saw you guys move…” Her mind was racing and she forced herself to take a deep breath. She peered up at him. “Why did you save me anyway? I would’ve thought…”

“That I’d want to drink your blood with him?” Zuko snorted. “Never in a hundred years. Let me tell you something about vampires, Katara. We don’t like to share.”

Another shiver went through her. She crossed her arms in front of her chest. “But that doesn’t explain why you stopped him.”

Zuko’s gaze was intense. Katara didn’t quite understand what it meant, and she shifted uncomfortably, unnerved by him.

“I don’t know,” he murmured after a moment. “I saw you there, and I just knew I couldn’t let something happen to you.”

Katara licked her lips. “You killed him...to save me.”

Zuko looked away and shrugged his broad shoulders. “Like I said, Jet’s been a problem for a long time.”

Katara appraised him for a moment.  _ He doesn’t seem that bad, for a vampire,  _ she thought. And she would be lying if she told herself she wasn’t at least a little bit curious. She had just learned that  _ vampires _ existed, for crying out loud! And here she was with a real live vampire in her apartment, one who  _ wasn’t  _ trying to drink her blood. She owed it to herself to at least ask him some questions.

“I could use some tea,” Katara said. She eyed him. “What about you? Do you…?”

“Sorry, strictly A-Positive for me.” He flashed her a grin that was probably supposed to put her at ease, but the sight of his sharp-looking white teeth had the opposite effect, even if there weren’t any fangs. And was it just a coincidence that he had rattled off her blood type? Or had he found her donor card in her wallet alongside her ID? She didn’t know how she felt about that.

Katara blinked. “Right.”

She stepped out of the bathroom and skirted past him. She didn’t want to leave her back to him for long, so she hurried into the kitchen. Zuko followed after her, though he remained in the living room, opting instead to lean over the breakfast counter.

_ He’s putting space between us,  _ Katara realized.  _ He wants me to feel comfortable around him. But why? Why is he still here? Why did he stay? _ Katara didn’t know, but she wanted to find out.

She grabbed the tea kettle off of the stove and filled it with water at the sink. Zuko watched her, his red eyes following her every movement as she set the kettle down on the burner and turned it on before she turned back to him. 

“So. Vampires exist.”

The corner of his lips twitched. “Unfortunately.”

“They drink blood and kill people.”

“Well, not exactly.” Zuko’s eyes seemed to burn into hers. “We aren’t really supposed to kill people. But vamps like Jet...well, they have a very callous disregard for the rules.”

“And who makes those rules?” Katara asked. In spite of herself, she was intrigued. 

“We have our own government,” Zuko said vaguely.

“So that other vampire was basically breaking vampiric law?”

“Yes.”

Katara arched her brow at him. “What, are you some kind of vampire-cop?”

Zuko snorted out a laugh. “No, not exactly. Call it vigilante justice.”

“How did you know he would kill me?” Katara asked.

Zuko met her gaze. “Well, I didn’t but...he’s done it before. I didn’t want to take that chance. I’ve been watching him for weeks. You’re not the first girl I’ve saved from him.” 

Katara couldn’t hold the intensity of his gaze anymore and she looked away. 

“He had it coming,” Zuko added darkly. “The Council wouldn’t do anything about him, so I did.”

“The Council?” Katara inquired curiously. 

“They’re the central government for my kind,” Zuko replied. “They’re  _ supposed _ to handle situations like Jet. And for the most part, they do. But for some reason, they were letting him get away with it.” His lip curled, and for a moment he looked frightening. “They said they didn’t have enough  _ evidence _ . That’s why I was following him.”

“I suppose I should thank you then,” Katara murmured. The vampiric world sounded complex. She looked up at him again. “So, thank you.” 

“Don’t mention it.” 

Katara drummed her fingers on the countertop. She had so many questions and she didn’t know where to start. Nor did she know how much time she had before Zuko would leave. Would sunlight kill a vampire, or was that just a myth? 

She decided she would want to find out.

“So, vampires are real.” Katara peered up at him. Zuko was watching her with an unreadable expression. “Does that mean that the myths are too? You know, about garlic and the sun and stuff?”

His lips tugged up into a half-smirk that made him even more handsome than he already was. The more time she spent looking at him, the more she became convinced that vampires were like Venus fly traps: gorgeous and alluring, but dangerous. 

“You keep saying that. Are you still trying to convince yourself?” Zuko quipped, that half-smirk still on his lips.

“Maybe.”

He chuckled. “You certainly went from being terrified to curious awfully quick.” 

Katara’s heart skipped a beat in her chest and she tore her eyes from him, towards the balcony doors behind him. 

“What can I say?” Katara drawled with more confidence than she felt. “I’m adaptable to change. I think that I’m no longer in any danger, so now I’m curious.”

“I see.” Zuko’s smirk widened. “And what makes you so sure you aren’t in any danger?”

Katara took a deep breath. The truth was that she didn’t  _ know _ . He was a freakin’ vampire. She suspected that they might be as volatile and unpredictable as a half-starved animal. But she truly didn’t believe he was going to hurt her. It seemed like an awful lot of effort for a meal.

“I think if you were going to hurt me, you already would have,” she said quietly. She met his curious gaze. “You’ve had plenty of opportunity to. And I get the feeling that there’s very little I can do about it if you decide that you  _ do _ want to hurt me.”

“You’re right. Vampires and humans...it’s a lot like a wolf and a deer. We’re the predator, and you’re the prey. You can’t fight us. All you can do is run.” He held her gaze for a beat, and Katara felt a sliver of fear pierce her. But then he gave her that charming half-smile and said, “But don’t worry. You’re right. I’m not going to hurt you. And if you really want to know, I suppose there’s no harm in telling you.”

She exhaled. “I do.”

Zuko sank onto one of the breakfast stools and folded his arms in front of him. “Alright. What exactly do you want to know?”

Katara pursed her lips as she thought about it. She met his gaze. “I want to know everything.”

Zuko chuckled; the sound was throaty and alluring. He rested his jaw on his fist and looked at her, his lopsided smirk still playing at his lips.  _ He thinks I’m amusing, _ Katara realized.  _ Like...how I view puppies or little kids.  _ She didn’t quite know how she felt about that. 

Before she could ask her first question, the tea kettle whistled. Katara jumped at the sound, and she watched humor dance through his eyes before she turned away. She took the kettle off of the hot burner and pulled a mug out of the cupboard. She grabbed a tea bag from the box on the counter, dropped it into the mug, and poured the hot water over it.

Her heart was thundering in her chest and her fingers trembled slightly. She supposed that wasn’t the worst condition she could have been in, given the night she’d had, but she didn’t want Zuko to see her weakness. Though she supposed he probably already knew. 

She steeped the tea bag for a minute before she grabbed the mug and turned back to Zuko. He hadn’t moved from his position on the other side of the breakfast counter. He seemed utterly at ease in her apartment. Katara, on the other hand, had never felt so unnerved.

It wasn’t that she felt  _ unsafe _ , exactly. She trusted that Zuko wasn’t going to hurt her, for whatever reason. It was just something about  _ him _ that set her on edge. 

She blew on her tea, watching him over the lip of the cup. His eyes were trained on her mouth before they flickered back up to her eyes. Katara set the mug down on the counter and watched the steam curl into the air for a moment.

“So, you don’t have to kill your victims,” Katara stated bluntly.

His eyebrow quirked. “Straight and to the point, are we? I don’t think that was a question, either.”

“Fine. So, you don’t have to kill your victims?”

Zuko chuckled again before he grew serious. “No. We don’t. It doesn’t take much to...make a meal. Just a pint or two. It’s basically the equivalent of donating blood to a blood bank.”

“Ah. Then why would that other vampire kill his victims?”

“Because he’s a greedy bastard who overindulged. Some vamps are like that.” Zuko shrugged before he met her gaze. “And ‘victim’ is a slightly offensive term, by the way.”

Katara let out an indignant huff of air. “Really? That seems pretty fitting to me.  _ I _ was almost a victim. But if that’s offensive to you, then tell me, what do  _ you _ call them?” 

“A familiar,” Zuko answered.

She blinked owlishly at him, confused. “What...you mean like what witches had?”

“No, not exactly. Most vampires find a...a person that they trust to feed from. Oftentimes, the relationship becomes...close. Intimate.”

Katara gaped at him. “You mean people... _ willingly _ ...become some kind of-of blood cow for a vampire? That’s insane!”

Zuko chuckled again. “It’s really not. Forget about what you’ve seen in the movies, Katara. That’s not how it really is.” 

“Wait...didn’t...didn’t I hear Jet say that he was going to make  _ me _ his new familiar? I thought you said they were willing participants.”

Zuko furrowed his brow, his expression stormy. “They’re supposed to be. Again, Jet wasn’t much for rules. There’s another way to make a human your familiar, but it was banned centuries ago by the Council.”

Katara swallowed hard as unease settled in her gut. “And what way is that, exactly?” What fate had nearly befallen her?

Zuko let out a long sigh. “It’s... _ almost _ the same. The other way is to hypnotize you. It’s easier if we drain enough blood to make you weak first. All we have to do is stare into your eyes and...well, it’s kind of hard to explain. It’s just something we can do.” His eyes dropped to the counter, almost as if he were ashamed of this. “It’s basically mind control. We can get you to do what we want. Including making you a familiar, even against your will. But at that point, you’re not really a familiar. You’re a thrall.”

“I’m glad the practice was banned, then,” Katara muttered as a shiver went through her.”

“Yeah, it used to be pretty common.” 

Katara leaned against the counter towards him, but kept a comfortable distance from him. They were separated still, with the counter stretching between them. He hadn’t moved from the stool, and the breakfast counter was taller than the counter was in the kitchen, so he seemed to loom over her, making her feel smaller than she already was. But she held his gaze and refused to break it.

“Wow...that’s a lot.” She tried to digest the information. “So...getting back to it not being like the movies. Tell me how it really is, then,” Katara said.

His eyes seemed to smolder, and Katara found herself mesmerized by them. He was silent for a moment, just letting his eyes burn her, before he finally spoke again.

“The act of feeding is quite intimate, in and of itself,” Zuko murmured. “It’s best done when there is trust between the two participants. A vampire’s teeth are coated with a substance that numbs the pain and triggers the pleasure center of a human’s brain. They rather enjoy it. So much so that they don’t want the vamp to stop. It takes self-control on the part of the vampire to know when to end it, because of course, feeding feels good to them, too.”

“Oh.” Katara picked up her mug and took a sip, finally breaking his gaze. “And how do vampires find people who are willing to do this? I can’t imagine someone walking up to me and saying,  _ hi, I’m a vampire. Wanna be my familiar and let me drink your blood? _ ”

Zuko snorted out a laugh. “No, it’s not usually like that. Usually, the vampire will find someone they’re interested in. Then they strike up a conversation, forge a friendship...and it just goes on from there.”

“How do you even get away with that? I mean, the red eyes are kind of off-putting.” Katara gestured to her face. “I know how I felt when I saw them.”

“Contacts are a thing,” Zuko said with a shrug. “And sunglasses. Once you get the person to trust you, it doesn’t really matter anymore.”

“But not all vampires have a...familiar?”

Zuko shook his head. “No. Some vamps find the...thrill of the hunt to be more exciting than the companionship of a familiar. Most of  _ them _ still don’t kill those they choose to feed from. Vamps like Jet...they’re a bit rare. The Council cracks down on it pretty hard, and most of us know that killing humans brings unwanted attention.”

“But you guys just take on familiars and stuff, like that isn’t a risk.”

“I don’t expect you to understand. Being a vampire’s familiar...it’s about trust. And once you’ve become familiarized with your vampire in that way, you don’t  _ want _ to put them at risk. You’d do anything to protect them.”

“And what does the human get out of that kind of relationship?” Katara inquired.

“Whatever they want.” Zuko shrugged. “Vamps become almost just as infatuated with their familiar as the human becomes with the vampire. We would do anything for our familiar. If our familiar wants a relationship, we give them one. If they want to be friends, that’s what we remain.” His lips quirked. “Though that doesn’t usually last long. As I said, feeding is...intimate.”

Katara considered him for a moment. “Do...you have a familiar?”

Zuko seemed surprised by the question. He blinked for a moment before he cleared his throat and answered her. “Uh, no. I don’t have one.”

“Have you ever?” Zuko arched his brow, and Katara smirked. “You said you’d answer whatever I asked, so don’t start chickening out on me now,” she said.

“Fair enough,” he murmured. “I had one, once.”

“What happened to them?”

Zuko stiffened in his seat, and Katara pulled away from the counter. His jaw tightened, and Katara realized that she had struck a nerve with him. She needed to remember that he wasn’t just some specimen she was studying. He might not be exactly human, but he still had emotions, and she needed to be more considerate of that. 

“Sorry,” she said quickly. “I shouldn’t have asked that. I guess my questions should have some boundaries.”

Zuko seemed to visibly force himself to relax. “It’s...alright. It’s just a touchy subject, is all.” He huffed out a breath. “Any other questions?”

“How does one become a vampire?” Katara asked, grateful for the opportunity to change the subject.

Zuko seemed to be relieved, too. “There’s two ways. One way, is that you’re born one. Another way is that you’re turned.”

“In the movies, that happens when you’re bitten,” Katara remarked. “But if you bite someone to feed from them and it doesn’t turn them, how does that work?”

“We have glands that carry our venom.” He touched the corner of his jaw. “If we want to change someone, we can. And before you ask, no, I’ve never turned anyone.”

“That’s some interesting biology. I’m sure a scientist would love to take a look at you.”

“Probably.” He snorted out a laugh. 

Katara appraised him. “What about you? Were you bitten, or born a vampire?”

For a moment, Zuko’s collected expression faltered. His mouth twisted into a scowl for a second before he neutralized his expression. 

“Born,” he said flatly.

Katara wrapped her hands around the mug of her tea. The issue of his heritage seemed to be a touchy subject, much like the familiar he’d had. She wanted to know more, but she decided not to push him. She still had so many other questions, and she wanted more answers. 

Her eyes flickered to the clock on the microwave. It was nearly one o’clock in the morning. She had to be up for her class by six a.m...but sleep was the furthest thing from her mind.

“I know you said to forget everything I’ve seen in the movies...but there  _ has _ to be some truth to it, right? The legends had to come from somewhere.” Katara looked up at him, suddenly feeling a little silly. “So, I guess what I’m asking is...will you, like, turn to ash in the sunlight? Or burst into flames or something?”

Zuko laughed. It was more than a chuckle; it was an actual laugh. His eyes crinkled in amusement. His teeth gleamed under the lights and Katara couldn’t help but look at them, wondering if they were sharp enough to cut her skin and drink her blood. Or did he have fangs? She hadn’t asked that either.

Zuko sobered. “No, the sun doesn’t have that kind of effect on us. It’s not exactly  _ pleasant _ , but we don’t burst into flames. It is, however, irritating for our skin. Almost like a sunburn, or so I’ve been told.”

“Ah.” Katara cocked her head. “Do you have fangs?” 

“Yes. They’re retractable, like a cat’s claws.” 

“Can I see?”

His eyes widened for a moment. “I...don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why not?” Katara frowned.

Zuko’s brow furrowed. Then he cocked his head at her. “You’re unusual, do you know that?”

Her frown deepened. “What makes you say that?”

“Well, you were attacked by a vampire tonight. You watched me kill him. You woke up to a vampire in your apartment. And you’re just...okay with all of that.” He arched his brow at her. “Does that answer your question?”

“Oh no, trust me, I am  _ definitely _ freaking out internally.” Katara looked at him with a crooked smirk. “But like I said, I’m adaptable. I do pretty well under stress. Honestly, I’m a little surprised that I passed out earlier. But I guess that was a pretty normal reaction, given what I’d just seen.”

“It could have been worse,” Zuko agreed.

Katara leaned on the counter. “Now, about those fangs. I still want to see them.”

Zuko eyed her curiously. “Are you sure?”

Katara snorted. “Yeah, of course I’m sure. The red eyes just aren’t doing it for me. I need to see the fangs to  _ really _ believe you’re a vampire.”

She walked out of the kitchen and came around to stand on the other side of the breakfast counter. She stayed back from him because her instincts were still telling her to run. Her heart was thrumming in her chest and she could feel the nervous energy balled up in the pit of her stomach.

A part of her still didn’t quite believe this was real, that it was just some crazy dream brought on by her overworked mind. But the scrapes on her knees and the palms of her hands, and her aching head, where the hair had been ripped from her scalp, told her that this was not a dream, even more than the gorgeous, red-eyed man sitting at her breakfast counter in a blood-stained t-shirt. 

Zuko turned in his seat to face her, appraising her with his smoldering eyes. Katara stepped closer to him until they were an arm’s length apart. Her breath came shallowly in her throat and she struggled to keep her face blank. 

“You’re afraid of me,” Zuko stated.

Katara blinked. “H-how did you know?”  _ Guess I wasn’t fooling him,  _ she thought. 

He nodded towards her. “I can hear your heartbeat. And your breathing. Fear causes a very...obvious reaction in the human body. You release pheromones, and we can smell it.”

“So, you also have heightened senses.” Katara bobbed her head. “Good to know.”

“We’re predators. Of course we do,” Zuko said. “Better vision, hearing, and smell.”

“And I also get the feeling that you’re procrastinating.”

Zuko chuckled. “You caught me.” He looked at her. “You don’t have to be afraid of me, though. I know it’s your instincts telling you that you  _ should _ be afraid. But I’m not going to hurt you.”

“I believe you,” Katara said. She let out a little chuckle. “Trust me, I’ve been trying to tell my instincts to chill out for the last twenty minutes.” She eyed the bloody shirt. “I don’t think that’s helping. You wouldn’t happen to have an extra shirt on you, would you?”

He glanced down. “Oh. Uh, no. I don’t.” Zuko looked at her sheepishly. “Sorry about that.”

“I’m pretty sure I have one of my brother’s shirts from the last time he was here,” Katara remarked. “I can get it for you.”

“If that makes you more comfortable.”

“It would.”

“Okay.”

Katara stepped past him and headed down the hallway to her bedroom. She left the door open as she crossed over to her closet, where she remembered hanging the shirt for when Sokka came back. She pulled it off the hanger and carried it back into the living room. Zuko hadn’t moved. 

“Here you go.” She held it out to him.

Zuko took the shirt from her, and as he did, his fingers brushed against hers. An electric charge sizzled across her skin at the contact and her breath hitched in her throat. She looked up at him from beneath her eyelashes as he withdrew his hand. 

He smirked at her reaction. Then he was pulling his shirt off over his head, and her heart stopped in her chest. 

He was  _ gorgeous _ . Pale skin stretched over lean muscles that coiled and shifted as he maneuvered out of his shirt and into the new one. Katara caught a glimpse of the trail of dark hair that disappeared into the waistband of his jeans before he tugged the shirt into place and she swallowed hard as a shiver of heat ran through her. 

He was a perfect Adonis. 

Then Zuko was looking at her again, the corner of his lips twitching. Katara’s cheeks heated with a blush. 

“Are you ready to see the fangs?” Zuko drawled languidly. 

Katara didn’t trust herself, so she just nodded. 

They were still standing close together. Katara could smell him, some rich scent that smelled like bamboo and something else, something she couldn’t quite name. But it was intoxicating, and she found herself leaning subconsciously closer to him to breathe in the scent.

Zuko hooked his finger into his lip and pulled it back to reveal his white teeth. Katara stared at the pink gum, where she could see what looked like a narrow slit above his canine. He pushed his finger above the slit.

Katara gasped as a white fang pushed out of his gum, sliding over the canine until it pushed past it, sharp and dangerous-looking. 

Then Zuko pulled his hand back and the fang retracted into its place. Zuko looked at her apprehensively, as if he expected her to start screaming. 

“That…was fascinating,” Katara said, a bit breathlessly. 

Zuko offered her a small smile. “Are you convinced now?”

Katara nodded. “Completely.” 

Zuko held up the bloody t-shirt. “Do you have a bag I can put this in?”

She’d forgotten about it. “Oh, sure. Yeah, hold on.”

Katara went back into the kitchen and opened the pantry, searching for the paper bag in which she kept all of her plastic bags, although she mainly used reusable bags now. She pulled one out and carried it back into the living room, grabbing her mug of mostly-cold tea as she went. 

“Here you go,” she said as she handed the bag to him.

“Thanks.” Zuko dropped the shirt into the bag and tied off the handles. 

Katara crossed the room and folded herself on the couch, resting her mug on the coffee table. She looked back up at Zuko and found he hadn’t moved from where he stood near the breakfast counter. 

“You can come sit down,” Katara said. “I don’t bite.” 

The words rolled off of her tongue before she knew what she was saying, and her eyes widened as she looked at him, wondering what his response would be. 

To her relief, his lips tugged up in a lopsided smirk and he said, “I might.” 

Katara chuckled as her heart skipped a beat in her chest.  _ He’s too damn gorgeous,  _ Katara thought as he dropped the bag on the counter and loped across the room and sank gracefully into her armchair. Katara was a little relieved that he hadn’t sat beside her on the couch. Being close to him was quickly becoming a problem. His entire presence was intoxicating and it made her dizzy. 

Zuko crossed his legs and propped his elbow on the arm of the chair, leaning his head against his fist. He looked completely and utterly at ease.

Katara folded her legs beneath her and tucked her hands into the sleeves of her sweater. Zuko watched her, presumably waiting for her next question. Katara thought about it for a moment.

“So, what other myths are based in reality? Does holy water burn you? Are you repelled by rosaries?”

Zuko chuckled as he shook his head in amusement. “You’ve seen too many movies.”

“Well, I never expected to have a conversation with a vampire.”

“Fair enough. But no, religious items have no effect on us.”

“Garlic?”

“Myth.”

“Stake through the heart?”

“Also a myth. But it definitely puts a pause on us.”

Katara pursed her lips. “Does  _ anything _ repel vampires?”

“Not really.” 

She gestured to the cut on his temple. “Obviously, you bleed and you can be hurt.”

“Of course we can,” Zuko answered, as if it was obvious. “But we’re a lot more durable than a human. It would be difficult for  _ you  _ to hurt me, for example. But not for another vampire.” He smirked. “Unless it’s pepper spray, apparently.”

“Apparently.” Katara appraised him. “And you guys are strong, too.”

“Yes. And fast.”

“A predator,” Katara quipped, and Zuko nodded. She frowned. “Are you immortal?”

Zuko shook his head. “No, but we  _ do  _ live exceptionally long lives.”

“How long have  _ you  _ been alive for?” Katara inquired curiously. 

Zuko’s expression was unreadable as he answered her. “Five hundred years.”

Her jaw dropped. “ _ Seriously? _ ” 

Zuko nodded, his lips twitching in amusement. “I told you, we live for a long time.”

“Well, yeah, but I just-you don’t—you look—”

“Good for my age?” Zuko chuckled. “We don’t age like humans do either. We age  _ much  _ slower. I’ve been alive for five centuries, but I look around age twenty five, in human years.”

Katara bobbed her head. “It’s just...this is a lot to take in.”

“I understand.” Zuko leaned forward then, uncrossing his legs and resting his elbows on his knees as he tented his fingers in front of his mouth. He studied her with his intense crimson eyes. “What else would you like to know?”

His gaze was too mesmerizing and Katara looked away, running her fingers through her hair. There was still so much she didn’t know. Not to mention that she didn’t know if she would ever see Zuko again when he left, and Katara wanted all of the information she could glean from him. 

She was surprised at how well she was handling all of this. She knew she was good at keeping a level head, but this was so beyond anything she had ever dealt with before. Katara was sitting in her apartment with an  _ actual  _ vampire. A vampire with red eyes and actual freaking  _ fangs _ . 

And there she was, fawning over how hot he was.

Spirits, was he hot. Inhumanly so, and it made sense, given the fact that he was  _ not  _ human. He had the type of face and body that modeling companies would kill for, except maybe for the scar.

Katara let her eyes dance over it, not allowing them to linger. Zuko had said it was nearly impossible for a human to hurt a vampire. So that meant it had likely come from  _ another _ vampire. She wondered how he had gotten it, but she suspected she might get a similar response to when she had asked about his familiar.

Katara decided to go in a different direction with her next line of questioning. “So, since vampires exist, does that mean other mythical creatures do too? You know, werewolves, witches, that sort of thing?”

“No.” Zuko pursed his lips. “Though I suppose in a way, vampires are sort of like witches or wizards.”

Katara frowned. “What do you mean by that?”

He shrugged. “Some of us can manipulate elements. You know, like water, earth, or fire.”

Katara’s eyebrows lifted. “Wow. That’s amazing. Can you do that?”

Zuko held his hand out, palm-up, his lips curling into a smirk. Suddenly, a small flame danced in his palm. Katara’s jaw dropped. 

“Holy crap,” she breathed, mesmerized by the fire. When she met his gaze, he was watching her with an amused smile.

Zuko extinguished the flames and sat back in his seat. He seemed to be pleased with himself for some reason. Katara wondered what  _ that  _ was about. 

“Can you do that with water and the other elements too?” Katara inquired. She found herself leaning forward, closer to him. “Or is it just fire?” 

“Just fire. No one can manipulate all of the elements.” 

“Fascinating.” 

She was staring at him; she couldn’t help it. Part of her was still waiting to wake up in her bed, having all of this been a dream. But she would know in the morning that all of this was real, from the scrapes on her hands and knees to Sokka’s shirt, which would be missing from her closet too. 

“Do you sleep?” Katara asked.

“Not in a coffin, if that’s what you’re asking.”

Katara snorted out a laugh. “No, that’s not what I meant. Just like, in general.”

“Yeah, we do. But we don’t need as much as a human does. Just two or three hours a night is fine.” 

“Man, I  _ wish  _ I needed that little sleep,” Katara muttered, thinking of her early class and all of the homework she had to do, and her next shift. “That must be nice. I would’ve graduated college two years ago, I swear.”

“What are you studying?” Zuko asked.

Katara looked at him, a little surprised. That was the first thing he had asked about her all night.

“Psychology,” Katara answered. “I want to be a psychologist, to help people.” She shrugged. “And I love learning about how the mind works.”

Zuko’s lips curled into a smile. “Fascinating. I guess that explains my interrogation,” he teased. “How much time do you have left until you’re finished?”

“This is my last year. I’m graduating in the spring.”

His fingertips drummed against the arm of the chair. “Do you plan on staying in the city?”

“Yeah.” Katara shrugged again. “There’s work here. And I’ve been here since I started school, and it’s started to feel like home to me.” She frowned. “Why do you ask?”

It was his turn to shrug, but there was a smile playing at his lips. “Perhaps we'll run into each other then.”

Katara’s heart thrummed in her chest. He wanted to see her again? Katara wasn’t adverse to the idea. But then she remembered he could hear her heart, and she willed it to slow down. 

“Let’s not meet in a dark alley again though,” she quipped to cover the fluttering of her heart, cracking a grin. 

His smirk widened. “No, I don’t think we should do that again.” Then he leaned towards her again. “Though I must admit, I’m quite pleased that we did. This evening has been...interesting.”

Katara snorted. “You can say that again.” 

Then she yawned wide enough that her jaw cracked. When she looked back up at Zuko, he was frowning.

“I forget what fragile things humans are,” he murmured. “You’ve had a long night. Perhaps you should get some sleep.”

Katara felt the panic swell in her belly. She didn’t want him to go. She still had so many questions. But she could feel the weariness tugging at her eyelids. She’d expelled a lot of adrenaline over the last few hours, and it was taking its toll. 

“Will I see you again?” Katara asked as a second yawn threatened to overtake her.

Zuko stood up. “If you’d like to.”

She got off of the couch and stretched before she peered up at him. Her heart was beating fast again, but she didn’t care enough to try and calm it. Perhaps if he sensed how much she wanted this, he would agree to see her again.

“I’d like to,” she murmured. 

“Then you will.” He started for the front door, grabbing the bag with his soiled shirt in it off of the counter as he passed it. 

Katara trailed after him and opened the door. Zuko passed through it and turned back to her.

“I guess needing to be invited in is also a myth,” Katara said with a smirk. 

Zuko chuckled. “Yeah, it is.” Then he looked at her, his eyes smoldering again. “Until next time, Katara.”

A shiver went through her at the promise in his words. Katara met his gaze.

“I’m looking forward to it,” she said.


End file.
